Scripture:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” - Matthew 23:25

Reading:

Everybody likes the new swag. At the beginning of the season, you love strapping on new cleats, putting on the whites, and maybe even spending some money on a new glove. To top it off, you have the new fitted cap. None of these things are a bad thing, until you focus more on how you look than how you play!

The Pharisees, in Jesus’s day, were the religious elite. They controlled how people related to God in the temples. They collected the donation money for the Jews. They were supposed to be the godliest people and be the example for people to follow. As they were working, the Pharisees were great at looking good. They had the new robes, they ate good, and smelled good too. But as Jesus pointed out, their hearts were “full of greed and self-indulgence.”

Some ball players are so into looking their best and fitting in, they don’t worry about how their fundamentals will stack up in game time. They love putting on their new evo-shields, but don’t put in the work to practice their swings in the cage. Their new glove has that shiny leather, but they don’t even work on ground balls. All of this is small in comparison to how badly they judge their teammates for not having the gear that they have. These types of players indulge in baseball “stuff” and “self,” but neglect working hard on the diamond and building relationships on their team.

The Pharisees were similar. On the outside, they would look like they are godly, but would not even stop to help those in need. They weren’t good at what was most important – loving God and loving people. The Pharisees looked the part, but they didn’t act the part of being godly. We know that godly people produce the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – which was what the Pharisees and scribes were lacking.

There was a man named Jesus, the Savior of the world and God in the flesh, that had it all, but humbled himself and put others first. He healed the sick, had dinner with tax collectors and sinners, and reached out to the common person with love. He wasn’t afraid to get dirty and did often. His ministry on this earth was a testimony on how we should live our lives. Can you believe that God didn’t come down to earth and show off and self-indulge in this world, but he came to give up his life for you? Can you believe that God came to serve?

Thanks to God, we have an amazing person that modeled self-sacrifice. His name is Jesus. Scripture says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

Questions:

What does self-indulgence and greed look like in our world today?

Keeping in mind the ‘washing the inside the cup and outside the cup’ analogy, what can you focus on that is most important in our day-to-day life and what is the least important?